In the fifth year of Taihe, Jiashen in October, two o'clock in the afternoon.

Chang'an, Chang'an County, West City.

Xuanji leaned against the door on the opposite side, her eyes staring in horror at the blood seeping into the slats, her chest rising and falling violently with her breathing.

After a good while, she gathered her mind and stood up straight, and dared to push the door forward with a little force, only to hear a dull sound in the door, as if something had just fallen on the porch, and the door creaked open......

The bamboo mat on the ground was stained with blood, and Xuanji looked to the left side of the door. Although she was prepared, this bloody scene still made her heart tremble, and she unconsciously exclaimed in her mouth, and her hand subconsciously held on to the door frame.

On the left side of the door, I saw an upper body with its back against the wall, lying straight on its side in a pool of blood, and the lower body maintained a sitting posture, with both legs pointing straight at the window lattice. Even though it was stained with blood, Xuanji could still see that this person was wearing a black robe and armor on his upper body, and a silver hook hanging a long-handled barrier knife from his waist......

It's the forbidden soldier she just followed!

But...... Xuanji was shocked, shouldn't this person be a very suspicious person according to her speculation? Why was he killed? Who killed him?

The figure of the Hu man who had just passed by Xuanji at the corner of the stairs flashed in her mind.

Xuanji didn't expect that she would be so close to the murderer...... Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeves to hide some of the pungent blood, Xuanji only felt that her hands were trembling, her fingertips were cold, and her steps involuntarily retreated from the room.

Calming, sedation...... Xuanji leaned her back against the door on the opposite side again, and then she felt that her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

What now? Do you want to report to the official?

Xuanji shook her head again and again, the perfunctory incident of Yu Wending's handling of Luo Yao's murder case yesterday still lingered in her mind. At this moment, she only felt a strong sense of powerlessness in her chest, and the two murders she witnessed in two days almost made her collapse. She desperately hoped that if she had any familiar acquaintances, she would not be as at a loss as she is now......

"Brother Yijun......"

Xuanji didn't know why, but she didn't know what to say in her mouth, but she first said Zhang Yijun's name. This woke her up suddenly, and she also told Zhang Yijun that she was not afraid, why did she forget all the words she had said for a long time now?

Xuanji's heart mustered up some courage again. She stepped back into the room, leaned slightly, and skimmed the face of the forbidden soldier with a handkerchief. This person has a beard-like appearance, his face is bloodless, and the stubble lining his jaw is very eye-catching. The man's neck and throat had been brutally cut open with a sharp blade, leaving a horrific bloody wound.

From the appearance of this person's death, Xuanji can't see anything else, the only thing that can be determined is that only this person has lost his breath, and the cause of death is cutting his throat......

"Huh?" Xuanji's eyes suddenly noticed that the bracer on this person's right forearm was also soaked in blood and turned dark red, but the black armor on his body and the left wrist guard were very clean, only some blood was splashed, and it was already a little dry.

Didn't you subconsciously use your right hand to plug the wound? Xuanji guessed as she slightly ripped off the wrist guard of the forbidden soldier's right arm. To her surprise, it didn't take much effort to tear it open, and it turned out that the wrist guard was not wrapped properly, but was just on the forearm.

Xuanji's face was shocked, not because of the blood droplets splashing when he tore off the bracers, and a few drops were stained on the veil of the hat, but because the skin and muscles on the inside of the forbidden soldier's entire right forearm were completely cut off with a knife, revealing the terrifying white bones......

At the same time, in Shanhefang, which is a few squares away from the West Market.

Zhang Yijun rode the "Sa Jade Horse", and as soon as he entered the Zhongqu of Shanhe through the gate of the workshop, he saw that the workshop was very lively. He has always heard the ridicule of "Chengbei Shanhe Chengnan Jinchang", but seeing the colorful lights on the way to the central cross street, it is more like there is some happy event in the workshop, I am afraid that a certain dignitary will marry.

When the hour came, some of the street stalls were open for customers, and some of the Hu Cake stalls also borrowed Bai Juyi's poems as a shouting: "The flax cake is like Kyoto, and the noodles are crispy and fragrant." "It's really ingenious.

Zhang Yijun actually rode all the way from Guangdefang, when he entered the workshop, his stomach began to bark, he saw a mutton soup shop not far from the crossroads, so he tied the "Sa Yuqi" in front of the horse, and sat down on a table at the door of the store nearby, and asked the store for a bowl of mutton, the store was very generous, and served it on the table with a sea bowl.

In the old days, most of the mutton stalls would set up a stove in front of the door, and the large mutton rack rested on the water basin, and then cut and adjusted according to the requirements of the guest officer, so the mutton in the water basin got its name.

Zhang Yijun sat at the table next to a bearded man, this person rolled up his arms and sleeves, held the sea bowl and drank the sheep soup in one go, and there was some broth on the beard, which was wiped off by him with his hands, and he drank it at the end, which was very heroic. Due to the large movement, Zhang Yi, who was also drinking soup, couldn't help but look sideways, and happened to catch a glimpse of an indigo tattoo on this person's right arm.

Tattoos originated from ancient ink punishments, but they have become a fashion in the Tang Dynasty, and people like to tattoo some poems and scriptures. In the early years, there was a Jingzhou street Ge Qing, from the neck down, all over the stabbing Bai Juyi poems, where more than 30 poems, so that the body is incomplete, and it is called the Baishe people's poetry by the world.

The bearded man lowered his sleeves again, and Zhang Yijun then retracted his gaze, recalling the glance he had just taken. The tattoo on this person's right arm is quite distinctive, it seems to be some kind of totem, like an eagle spreading its wings, and there is a monk holding a ring in one hand and spreading out the palm of the other, I don't know what the symbol means.

The central cross street in Shanheli is full of traffic, and from the position where Zhang Yijun sits, you can see the endless flow of cars and pedestrians there, but the strange thing is that many well-made Siwang cars have turned south at that intersection and turned to the slightly less prosperous Nanqu, among which there are even many cars.

Zhang Yijun couldn't help but greet the restaurant who happened to finish the food on the table in front of him with a little curiosity, and asked, "Why does the street in Nanqu in front feel like there are people coming and going?" ”

"Ouch......" The shopkeeper was also bored, listened to this question, grinned and crossed his hands and said: "The guest officer hasn't been to this Shanheli much...... right" Then he wiped his greasy hands with coarse linen, leaned over to Zhang Yijun, and lowered his voice: "There is the mansion of Zheng Zhu Zhengmen to the south, and the people of the sect want to take concubines today......"

Zhang Yijun's eyes twitched, concubine? No wonder when he entered the workshop, he felt as if there was a high-ranking official who wanted to marry, it turned out to be the Zheng Note he was looking for!

He didn't expect that the restaurant he picked casually would be guarding the corner leading directly to Zheng Zhu's mansion, so this restaurant should know Zheng Zhu quite well. Zhang Yijun's eyes turned, and he had an idea in his heart, so he asked knowingly: "Zheng Note?" This person is a high-ranking official Jin Zi? How did you never hear of his name in Beijing? ”

The shopkeeper couldn't help but slap his hands and laughed: "I also said that the guest officer hasn't been to Shanheli much, so it's the first time he has arrived in Chang'an." He saw that the store was not busy at the moment, so he sat down on Zhang Yijun's head, put his forearm on the table, and leaned over with his hand covering his mouth, as if he was talking about a joke: "This Zheng Note, the original surname is Yu, Zheng Wei is a fake surname, he is a doctor in Jiangzhou, Hedong, he is from a humble background, and he is farsighted." Later, he was able to enter the Shogunate of Li Yu as a medical assistant, and he was deeply trusted......"

In fact, the shopkeeper had already heard of these Zhang Yijun, but he was attentive, drinking mutton soup while nodding his head from time to time, trying to find an opportunity to find some inside information.

“…… At that time, Wang Shoucheng, who was still the supervisor of the Xuzhou army, was said to be very angry that this person was favored by his medical skills, and wanted to get rid of him several times, but after talking to this person, he actually met and hated late, and was regarded as a genius, so he ascended to the sky in one step, accepted as a doorman, and had to enter the Beijing division for more than ten years....... ”

Zhang Yijun threw his fists and said: "The contemptible person is going to Beijing to take the exam, and he is trying to tell the tribute official with the poems and writings he brought, I don't know if the store said that this Zhengmen person can give the contemptible person a hand?" ”

The shopkeeper laughed and waved his hand at Zhang Yijun: "I want to think too much!" How can Zhengmen people be so easy to see? ”

Zhang Yijun saw that the topic was going to be dramatic, and asked as if he was deliberately leading: "Oh? But I don't know who has been here lately? Aren't they literati? ”

"How can someone like Zheng Zhu read poetry," the shopkeeper pointed to the sky with his index finger rather vaguely: "They are all high-ranking officials and powerful officials, and nobles who want to go up." ”

"Then ......" Zhang Yijun continued to probe: "I don't know if there are other people coming in and out of here recently?" ”

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed, and his cheeks tensed a little, which made Zhang Yijun suddenly feel that his question was abrupt.

"Foot...... What does that mean? ”

Then let's count it......

"Are there any Xuanjia soldiers in and out of here?" Zhang Yijun still maintained a relaxed tone, and he tried his best to ask this casually. But what he didn't expect was that the shopkeeper's face changed suddenly when he heard the words, and he instantly darkened, and said in a deep voice: "I haven't heard of any gold-armored soldiers, the guest officer has finished eating, so let's go and hurry...... Yan got up unceremoniously and walked into the store with his sleeves brushed up.

Zhang Yijun was surprised by the sudden change in attitude of the shopkeepers, and he vaguely felt that although the street was peaceful and peaceful on the surface, he did not know how many unknown secrets were hidden in it.

Zhang Yijun finished eating the mutton in the basin and was about to leave the table, when he lowered his head and reached into the small money bag on the copper spool, but he heard someone knock on his table.

Zhang Yijun looked up suddenly, only to see that at the same time as there was an extra copper coin on the table, a burly man was standing in front of him. Zhang Yijun looked this person up and down for a long time, and recalled that this person was the bearded man who had just drunk mutton soup at the table next to him!

Zhang Yijun was a little vigilant, and he was puzzled in his words: "Dare to ask what is the step?" ”

The bearded man had a serious expression, and the sound of heavy breathing could be heard clearly, and he stared intently at Zhang Yijun's eyes, carefully observing the changes in Zhang Yijun's expression with a scrutinizing gaze. The two of them were silent for a long time, and then the bearded man spoke: "Please come with me!" ”